Sunday, May 6, 2012

Rain - Cat & Dog

Whenever it rains, my cat is restless. Especially if it is a thunder storm. He would be hiding in a corner till the storm blew over. I attributed it to him being sterilized and perhaps it was raining during his stayed in the veterinarian clinic ?

Then I came across my friend's dog which fear of impending rain is even more drastic. I found her breathing very heavily that day. She refused the doggie treats I got for her which she usually gobbled up eagerly. I thought she was sick but was told she is stressed whenever the weather turn cloudy.

Then it rained, and she was hyperventilating. She was in the porch and and I was sitting in the far corner of the living room.  I could hear her heavy breathing even with the background pattering of rain and rumbling of thunder. I knew of the term hyperventilation. But I have never come across any one who suffers from it. Now I observe first hand what hyperventilation is from a dog. If not for the assurance from her owner, I thought she is in danger of dying.

According to her owner, she is a stray which used to hang around. They adopted her and sterilized her. Though a young stray, likely she has given birth before as her tummy showed signs of it.  Perhaps she has been badly traumatized before which has association with bad weather. Talk about auto response trigger by external stimuli. This is a classical example.

Poor thing. She should be let indoor during such time. Cover her with a blanket and keep her warm and cozy to reduce the stress and fear.

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